Railway Cans

Published: Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:41:19

By: Becca Witt

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Did you know goldfish were shipped by railway cars to customers up until the mid 1950's?

Ozark Fisheries shipped feeder commons, shubunkins and red fantails in cans by railway cars to its customers.

Believe it or not the can was then returned to Ozark Fisheries empty on the next train. A block of ice was set on top the perforated lid of the can so a constant source of water would drip into the can and replenish needed oxygen and keep the fish cool during warmer weather. In 2009 Ozark Fisheries found a storage shed with these cans still intact and in near mint condition. We have a limited number available to buy in two different sizes.

Did you also know Ozark Fisheries was the first in the world to design a new method of shipping fish in a corrugated box with a plastic bag? In doing so we were able to increase the number of fish in each container by 10 times and reduce the weight by 75%!

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Description: Ozark Fisheries shipped their fish by metal cans on the railroad to their customers until the mid 1950's.
Key Words: goldfish cans, shipped by railway, Ozark fisheries history